Best known as a chef and television personality who introduced French cuisine to Americans, Child was also the author of a memoir, My Life in France (2006) and 16 cookbooks, including The Art of French Cooking (1961), The Way to Cook (1989), and Cooking with Master Chefs (1995).

Child served in the Office of Strategic Services during World War II
in DC, Sri Lanka, and China. Child lived in DC in the earliest days of
her marriage, moving once a year, and teaching herself to cook. From 1946
to 1947, she lived on Wisconsin Avenue. From 1947 to 1948, she was on
35th Street, and in 1948 on Olive Street. After those moves, she left
the country; she accompanied her husband to France, when he was posted
there by the US Department of State. A later move back to DC found her
living at the N Street address.

From 1963 to 2000, Child starred in several popular TV cooking programs. Her kitchen, custom designed for her by her husband, was the setting for three of her shows in the 1990s; it is now on display at the National Museum of American History. She was the recipient of numerous honors, including the French Legion of Honor and a Presidential Medal of Freedom.